Floating device for vessels.



A. lVHCELl.

.FLOATING DEVICE FOR VESSELS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 7. 1914.

Patented Sept. 21, 1915.

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A. MICELI.

FLOATING DEVICE FOR VESSELS.

APPLICATION HLED Nov. 7. 1914.

l l 54, 1 95 l Patented Sept. 21, 1915.

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COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0..w^SHxNaoN. n. C.

A. IVHCELI.

. FLOATING DEVICE FOR VESSELS.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 7. 1914.

1,154,195. Patented Sept. 21, 1915.

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ANGELO MICELI, 0F BOSTGN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T ANGELO MICELI UNSINK- ABLE VESSEL COMPANY, OF EOSTGN, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSA- CHUSETTS.

FLOATNG- DEVICE FOR VESSELS.

Application led November 7, 1914.

To all whom t may concern.'

13e it known that I, ANGELO MicnLi, a subject of the King of Italy, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful 1mprovements in Floating Devices for Vessels, of which the following is a specification.

rThis invention relates to floating devices for vessels and more particularly to devices for floating vessels which have been damaged or disabled torsuch an extent that they are in danger of sinking.

The object of the invention is to provide collapsible and folding means which will normally occupy a very limited amount of space either upon the exterior or interior of al vessel, but which when needed may be unfolded and inflated by air or gas of any suitable nature and thus maintain the vessel afloat until assistance may be obtained,-0r the vessel brought to a safe anchorage.

The invention further consists in providing suitable protecting devices for the inflated collapsible' members.

rl`he invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts whereby the above objects and results mav be attained as set forth in the following specification and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a portion of the hull of a vessel with an apparatus embodying my invention shown attached to the side thereof,1the opposite side of the vessel, which is merely a duplication of the part shown, is broken away to save space in the drawings. Fig. 2 is aside elevation of one of the sections or casings shown in Fig. 1 shown unfolded as in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3 3 ofFig. 2 illustrating the casing folded against the' side' of the vessel. Fig. e is a section taken on line M of Fig. 1 illustrating the casing unfolded and the collapsible fluid container inflated within said casing. Figs. 5 to 10 inclusive illustrate'modified forms of the invention.

Like numerals refer to like arts through'- out the several views of the rawings.

In the drawings, referring particularly to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, 11 is the hull of a vessel only one side of the saine being illustrated in the drawings as the opposite side is merely a duplicationV of that shown. Along the straight portions of the sides of the vessel 13.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 21, 1h15.

Serial No. 870,889.

are arranged series of casings 12, the number of these casings 12 included in said series varying according to the size and capacity of the vessel. An inflatable collapsible meinber 13 is placed within each of said casings and arranged to be inflated to substantially lill the same, and as the inflatable members and their ca sings are substantially identical a description of one will suffice. The member 18 is normally retained in its collapsed state, preferably within a recess or inclosure 1l preferably formed in the side of the vessel and just large enough to contain said collapsed member in its normal state.

rlfhe inclosure 14 has an opening 15 adjacent to the top thereof through which the collapsed member 13 may be inserted from the interior of the vessel and through which opening extends a fluid conductor or supply pipe 16 to any suitable source of supply aboard the vessel or otherwise. The inclosure 1e is furthermore provided with an opening 17 at the outside thereof communi eating with the interior of the casing 12 adjacent thereto.

A valve 18 is arranged in the supply pipe 16 for the purpose of permitting fluid to enter or escape from the collapsed member 13. rl`he collapsed member 13 may be constructed of elastic material, such as rubber or heavy canvas, which is practically inelastic, or in fact any material which may be collapsed or when inflated will retain the fluid therein.

As air is admitted to the collapsed member 13 through the supply7 pipe 16 and valve 18, said member begins to expandland by so doing is forced 'or ejected from the inclosure 11- through the opening 17 into the casing 12 substantially filling said casing, which cas ing constitutes a protector or support for the inflated member 13.

As hereinbefcre stated, the casing 12 is arranged outside of the hull of the vessel and in order that it may' take up as little space as possible, when not in use, said casing is made to fold inwardly against the side of the vessel completely covering the opening 17 and thereby protecting the collapsed member 13, when the same is collapsed within the inclosure 14. Said casing is folded against the side of the Vessel in such a manner that little or no resistance will be prete 'the water." the vessel is advanchorizontal when the casing is unfolded, as I in Fig. 4. These members are pivoted at 22 and 23 respectively to the side of the vessel at points above and beneath the opening 17 of said inclosure. A third member 24 is pivotally connected at its opposite ends, namely 25 and 26, to the outer free ends of the members 20 and 21, thus forming said casing into a rectangular inclosure having top, end and bottom Walls, while the side of the vessel forms the other wall thereof.

To fold the casing 12 against the side of the vessel the free end of the member 20, bearing the pivot 25, is swung downwardly about the axis of the pivot 22 against the side ofsaid vessel and over the mouth of the inclosure 14, after which the member 21 is swung upwardly against the member 24r which folds back against the member 20, see Fig. 3. A latch 27 pivotally arranged in the side of the vessel and operable preferably from the interior thereof is arranged slightly above the pivot 22 and constitutes means for retaining the casing 12 in its folded position against the side of the vessel. Ashereinbefore stated the casing 12 is but one of a series of casings, as indicated at Aa c: B, c C, cc D, c: E n eta, See Fig l, each of said casings being substantially identical in construction and forming as a whole a sectional folding casing, each section thereof being in close proximity to the adjacent section and alining therewith.

Uponthe releasing of the sides constituting the casing 12 by the rotation of the latch 27, the weight of the-outer member 21, in Fig. 3, and of the member 24 pivotally connected thereto will naturally cause said `members to swing downwardly about the 'against the inner side of the member 20 pushes said member outwardly and upwardly to the position shown in Fig. 4.l Y

1t is desirable although not particularly necessary to limit the upward pivotal movements of the members 2O and 21 about their pivots 22 and 23 and for this purpose a stay y 28 has been provided which may be of any suitable flexible material, such aschain or rope, and secured adjacent the pivot 25 to the `outer free end of the member 20, the 0p,-

posite end of said stay being secured at a point adjacent the pivot 23, preferably to said pivot.

Each of the sections 151, B, C, D and E is preferably provided with one or more stays of this nature, said stays being arranged to fold into the casings 12 when the same are folded against the side of the vessel. A second stay 2,9 is arranged to extendfrom a point on the lower member 21 adjacent the pivot 26 to a point in the side of the vessel adjacent the pivot 22 extending through a hole in the side thereof and secured upon the interior of the vessel. rThis second stay constitutes a support forv the casingl 12 to prevent said casingfrom swinging downwardly while at the same time said stays 28 and 29, which cross each other, constitute means for confining ythe inflatable member 13 within its casing. The inner end of the last mentioned stay 29 is detachably secured to a hook or other suitable fastening means 30 and is adapted to be released when it is desired to collapse the casing 12, to permit the member 21 to swing downwardly Ya limited amount or until the members 20 and 24 will be permitted to be folded inwardly, after which said stay 29 may be drawn upwardly carrying with it the outerfree end of the member 21 and drawing said member into its folded position. i

lnFig. 5 is illustrated a modified form of device for accomplishing the results hereinbefore set forth in which the folding casing 12 and inclosure 14 are secured to a supporting frame 31. This frame is detachably secured to the side 11of a vessel, permitting the device to be applied to a vessel already constructed without altering the construction of said vessel, other than to secure thereto brackets 32 within which projections 33 on the frame 31 are adapted to fit to support said frame. rl`he upper end of said frame is secured in contact with thel side 11 of the vessel, bymeans of a' latch 27 operable in a. similar manner to the latch 27. With this form of device the frame 31 containing the casing 12 and inclosure 14 may be stored away in some convenient place on board the vessel and applied, in the manner described, to said vessel only in cases of emergency. When such a frame is employed the fluid supply pipe 16 may extend downwardly over the side of the vessel instead of from the inside thereof. The casing 12 is adapted lto be locked in its folded state against the frame 31l by a latch 34 pivoted at 35V to the frame'31 and preferably operable only from the exterior of said vessel.

Fig. 6 illustrates another form of device for accomplishing the results hereinbefore described in which the outer ends 36 and 37 of the outermost casings A and E respectively are closedk by means of doors 38 ble member 44.

and 39 pivotally arranged at 40 upon the side of the vessel. These doors entirely close the ends of said casings and protect the collapsible inflatable members contained within the casings and confine the same therein, said doors being held in contact with their respective casings by stays 41 extending from points adjacent the outer ends thereof to the side of the vessel.

The casings 122 in the form shown in Fig. 6 are constructed substantially in the same manner as those shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive and when the same are collapsed, the doors of the end casings may be swung inwardly against the folded casing or in the opposite direction against the side of the vessel. Either arrangement is suitable and within the scope of the invention.

ln Figs. 7 and 8 another form of casing is shown which form consists of members 41 and 42 pivoted at their inner ends to the side 43 of the vessel, said members constituting the top and bottom of the folding casing which contains an inflatable collapsi- The outer free ends of the members 41 and 42 are connected together by a flexible sheet of material 45, which may be constructed of canvas or metallic fabric, or in fact, any material which is capable of being folded between the members 41 and 42 and the side 43 of the vessel when said members are swung inwardly about their pivots, as shown in Fig. 8. In this form of device the inflatable collapsible member 44 is arranged within a suitable receptacle or inclosure 47, preferably formed in the side of the vessel and similar to the construction illustrated in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, said receptacle being just large enough to contain the collapsible member 44 when the same is collapsed. A fluid supply pipe is connected with the collapsible member 44 through an opening 48 in the upper end of the inclosure 47. A bolt 49, preferably slidably arranged upon the member 41, is adapted to be moved to engage the member 42 when said members are folded to retain said members in said folded state. Stays 50, 50 are provided at tbe open end of the casing extending from the flexible sheet material to the side 43 of the vessel, while other stays extend from the member 41 to the member 42 which stays constitute means for conlining the inflatable member 44 within the casing, when the same is inflated.

Still another form has been illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10 and in this form members 51 and 52 are provided similar to the members 41 and 42 of Fig. 7. The outer free ends of the members 51 and 52 are connected together by a member 53 similar to the member 24 shown in Fig. 4, but differing from said member in that it is made in two parts 54 and 55 pivoted respectively to the members; and but having elldable ment with each other in order that the distance between the free ends of the members 51 and 52 may be shortened when the casing is being folded against the side of the vessel. In this type of casing a stay 56 extends from the outer free end of the member 51 to a point adjacent the pivot for the member 52 adjacent the side of the vessel. Still another stay 57 extends from a point adjacent the outer free end of the member 52 to a point adjacent the pivot for the member 51. These stays are permanently fixed at the points referred to and constitute supports or stays for the members 51 and 52 as well as means for confining the inflatable member within the confines of the casing. When it is desired to fold the casing, the free ends of the members 51 and 52 are permitted to be dra-wn together by reason of the relatively movable members 54 and 55 until one of said members 51 and 52, preferably 51, is swung inwardly in the direction of the arrow o beyond the stay 57 for the member 52, whereupon said vcasing may be folded against the side of the vessel. f

Having thus described my invention what l claim and desire by Letters Patent to secure is:l

1. A floating device for vessels comprising a series of recesses disposed along the sides thereof, a collapsible fluid container arranged within each of said recesses, a fiuidsupply pipe for each of said containers, a folding casing arranged about each of said recesses, each of said casings adapted to be foldedover its respective recess, said casings being open at the end thereof, and collapsible means extending across the open ends of said casings adapted to protect the collapsible containers within said casings.

2. A floating device for vessels comprising a series of recesses disposed along the sides thereof, a collapsible fluid container arranged within each of said recesses, a fluid supply pipe for each of said containers, a casing disposed over each of said recesses, said casings each consisting of a pair of horizontally disposed members pivoted to the side of the vessel, one above and the other beneath each of said recesses, a vertically disposed member pivotally connected at oppositev ends to the outer free ends of said horizontally disposed members, and means extending from points adjacent the outer free ends of one of said horizontally disposed members to points on said vessel below the inner ends of said horizontally disposed members adapted to limit the upward movement of said members.

3. An emergency floating device for vessels having, in combination, sectional rectangular folding casings arranged along the sides of said vessel, a collapsible and inflatable member arranged to occupy of said seetiolili's when said sections are unfold- Y ing casings arranged end to end and in close proximity to each other, means to lock said casings folded against the sides of said vessel, means adapted to limit the movements of said casings during the unfolding thereof, an inclosure formed in the sides of said vessel adjacent each of said folding casings, a collapsible member normally containedrwithin each of said inclosures and adapted to beY inflated to fill the casing adjacent to their respective inclosures, and means extending across the outer ends of the outermost casings adapted to confine the 'inflatable members Within said casings when the same are inflated.

5. AnV emergency floating device for vessels having, in combination, a series of folding casings open at opposite ends and arranged end to end, means constructed and arranged to lock said casings folded against the sides of said vessels, means adapted to limit the movements of said casings during the unfolding thereof, a collapsible'member constructed and arranged to be inflated to fill each of said casings, and means eXtending across the outer ends of the end casings of said series adapted to confine said collapsible members therein vwhen inflated.

6. An emergency floating device for vessels having, in combination, a series of folding casings open at opposite ends and arranged end to end, means constructed and arranged to lock said casingsfolded against the sides of saidl vessels, means adapted to.

limit the movements of said casings during the unfolding thereof, a collapsible member constructed and arranged to be inflated to fill each of said casings, anda plurality of flexible strands arranged transversely of the ends of the outermost casings in said Vseries adapted to confine said collapsible members therein when inflated. Y

7. A floating device for vessels comprising arrecess formed in the sidey of the vessel, a collapsible fluid container arranged Within said recess, a folding casing arranged about said recess, said casing consisting of a pair of flat plates pivoted above and below said recess to the side of said vessel, a third plate pivotally secured to the outer free ends of said pair of plates, means constructed and arranged to maintain said casing unfolded, and means for confining the collapsible fiuid container Within said casing when said container is inflated. ,c

8. ln a floating device forV vessels a rectangular collapsiblev casing, one side of the vessel constituting one Wallof said casing, the other sides of said casing being constructed and arranged to fold against the side of said vessel, and an inflatable member arranged Within said casing. Y

In testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ANGELO MicnLi.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of iatents,

Washington, D. C. 

